Electronic Payment Experts -Blog http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog Useful Insights and Information About Electronic Payments for U.S. Merchants Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:10:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en How Accepting ATM Cards Can Improve Your Profitability http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=12 http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=12#comments Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:00:16 +0000 admin http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=12 The use of ATM or PIN-based debit cards in the U.S. has been rising faster than signature debit cards and credit cards over the past decade. Merchant sales volume for PIN transactions has been growing 21% annually since 2000, slightly ahead of signature debit and significantly ahead of credit cards. And, according to a recent study by Star electronic funds transfer (EFT) network, consumers preferred PIN debit over signature debit, with 54% opting for PIN and 38% for signature. This trend is great for both consumers and merchants.

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]]> http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=12 Convenience Fees and Surcharge Rules http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=13 http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=13#comments Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:58:23 +0000 admin http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=13 We get a lot of questions surrounding the ability for merchants to charge their customers a surcharge or convenience fee for accepting credit cards. This post will attempt to provide a thorough overview of when convenience fees can be charged according to card regulations. We have also included excerpts from Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express of the specific rules that govern the application of convenience fees. And if you are really interested and want nighttime reading, we have also included links to the complete operating regulations of these card brands. (more…)

]]> http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=13 Comparing Merchant Services Across Wholesale Clubs http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=10 http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=10#comments Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:37:38 +0000 admin http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/comparing-merchant-services-across-wholesale-clubs/16-2008/ Wholesale clubs like BJ’s, Costco and Sam’s provide fantastic value when you want to buy in bulk, but how competitive are they when you are looking to buy merchant services for your business?  Read the full article at http://www.optimizedpmts.com/clubs_analysis.pdf

]]> http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=10 What’s in a Basis Point? http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=2 http://www.optimizedpmts.com/blog/?p=2#comments Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:57:23 +0000 admin http://optimizedpmts.easycgi.com/blog/?p=2 A basis point is a financial unit of measurement.  One basis point is equal to 1/100th of 1%, and is used to denote a change in a financial instrument.  One basis point could be written as 1 basis point, or 0.01%, or .0001.  Therefore, 100 basis points equals 1.0%.  The basis point is commonly used for calculating changes in interest rates, equity indexes and the yield of a fixed-income security.  So what does a basis point have to do with merchant processing?   (more…)

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